Wednesday, February 10, 2016

going from 1 to 2 kids

I planned to write this soon after Penn was home with us, but I thought I'd give us a few months to settle in :)

I'm so glad I did because a few months ago this would have been one big cry for help! haha

I kid.

But seriously, it has gotten SO much easier over the last few months.  I think every day I say to Ryan "I think it's getting easier as the boys are getting older...." We certainly have hard days but they are becoming fewer and far between.

I'll be honest, those first few weeks are kind of a blur. It was amazing getting Penn when we did and I know that he and Keaton will be lifelong brother buddies so close in age, but it wasn't easy trying to care for a newborn and brand new one year old at the same time.
Taking care of little ones or big ones will never be "easy," but now that Keaton can WALK, go up and down the stairs by himself {with us right there}, is steady on his feet, can manipulate and play with toys on his own, doesn't nurse, plus many other small things it makes a world of difference!!

Physically speaking, going from 1 little to 2 littles was tough! I got my workouts in carrying one kiddo up the steps, running down and carrying another up. Then repeat going down. Keaton was just still so little and couldn't physically do much on his own, so I still had to help him with pretty much everything. Thankfully, K was/is a patient little guy and rarely threw fits or got upset - he just stood there or sat and waited until I strapped Penn on myself or ran as fast as I could to get his bouncer and put him in it :)
I basically stopped running/working out and saved my energy for taking care of my 2 sweet boys. Even though it was physically tough, we still did a lot and had fun! Penn cried a lot his first few months, but loved being outside….so outside we went. Keaton loved it too and thankfully it was summer so we got to get a lot of vitamin D! Phinley got to go for a lot of walks too ;0) Our BOB double stroller was my BFF! That thing is amazing.

For me, transitioning to 2 was/is constantly thinking ahead. I imagine it’s the same when you go from 2à3, or 3à4, or have twins {God bless you}. Every day I felt like I had a running list of “how to” questions going through my head. It wasn't brain surgery either...basic simple questions like...

How do I grocery shop with kids filling the cart? How do I feed Keaton lunch when Penn needs to nurse? What do I do with Penn during Keaton’s bath and bedtime routine? What do I do when Penn cries non-stop when I’m nursing Keaton before bed? How do I get both boys from their crib when they wake up at exactly the same time? Who do I let cry? How do I get Keaton in his swing while wearing Penn without hurting any of us?

See?? Basic questions about how to do our day.

It was amazing how on some days I had all the answers {or thought I did!}!!

And other days nothing.seemed.to.work.

I still have a bunch of questions running through my mind, but they look a lot different now and aren't key to getting in and out of the car at Target...it's more like... 

How do I get Keaton to stay happy as I browse the isles of stuff I don't need, but want to buy IN Target? Will Keaton throw a fit if I walk by the applesauce packs and don't give him one? How do I get applesauce packs in the shopping cart without K seeing? Should we go out for lunch or wait til we get home? Do I have enough diapers to last through a lunch out?

The moment I feel like I have this whole 2 under 2 thing somewhat under control I’d get thrown another curve ball. One would have a blow out just as we were getting in the car. Or K would throw his entire lunch on the floor. Or Penn would need to nurse the entire day and I’d feel awful for not giving K enough attention.
I remember one day in the summer after my parents left from a visit and Ryan was getting ready to go to night shift I was a mess because Penn was being a newborn {eating all the time...oh and crying} and Keaton needed dinner. I felt stretched, tired, and like I was going to loose my mind. I cried and cried with everyone else. How could I do it all??

But you know what? 

I didn't have to do it all.

Ryan left for work and I got both boys fed, bathed, and in bed :)

We did it!

I think that was maybe the biggest thing that's changed for me since having 2 kids -- not thinking that I still needed to do everything I was doing before with just Keaton. Does that make sense? 

I need to make sure we're all fed, clean, safe, and loved. That's it. Anything else is extra!

Some days it was easier for me to have that mentality than others. Honestly, most of the time I found that those basics were not only covered, but that we were still doing a lot, going places, having fun, and making great memories as a family!! It was hard, but not impossible!

Our days today look so much different than they did last spring/summer...even a few months ago. Other than maybe having a magic trick to stop Penn from crying I wouldn't have changed any of it! It was hard and there were tears of frustration when I couldn't calm Penn or felt like Keaton was left to play alone to much, but I wasn't unhappy or ungrateful!! I was a Mom learning how to take care of and share myself between 2 little cuties who I wanted to have all of me. I'm certainly still learning how to do that.

It's been a pretty exciting ride that's for sure! Ryan and I were just talking about last summer and how one day we'd say things like "having 2 kids is easy...this isn't that much harder at all,..we're awesome parents" and the next day would be "this is crazy!!...what are we doing??...having 2 kids is way different than 1!!...we need heellllppp"

HAHAHA!

Regardless of the kind of day we were having 5 months ago or just yesterday, it's such an honor and blessing loving on these 2 sweetie pies every day!! We're so thankful to God for allowing us to parent these 2 boys!

 photo erinsignatureaqua_web1_zps89bdee36.png

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...